Dorian Finney-Smith returned to the court on Sunday and joined the Nets' starting lineup. He had missed the past four games with a sprained left ankle.
The veteran power forward had nine points, four rebounds and a plus-two in 30 minutes, matching up well with former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“It's been tough. I'm just trying to find my rhythm. I was slowing down a little bit, but my teammates were behind me telling me to keep going. And they has definitely missed me, so it was definitely fun to be outside,” Finney-Smith said. “I've learned the skill. Come on, dude. I don't even know how I got that skill.”
The Nets had a team-high plus-56 in Sunday's game against the Bucks with Finney-Smith on the floor. The next closest was plus 10.
“He's great when he's on the floor, he's great when he's dressing and he's great when he's a part of the team,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said. “Even when he’s on the bench, he always involves everyone, talks and supports his teammates on the court.
“His production is great and he shoots the three well. I want him to keep shooting. He makes winning plays on both ends, and all those little things matter. He's a veteran and everybody's more comfortable when he's on the court, right? And all of those things combine to make us a better team.”
For 10 consecutive games, the Nets used a unique starting lineup of Finney-Smith, Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton, Keon Johnson and Dennis Schroder.
According to Elias, this is the longest streak in team history and the longest in the NBA this season.
Schroder (34 points, 11 assists, no turnovers) became the only player in the NBA this season to record at least 30 points and 10 assists with no turnovers, and the fifth in Nets history.
Claxton had a season-high 21 points, 10 boards, four assists, three steals, and two blocks.
It was the first game of the season in which he recorded multiple blocks and steals.
“We're just getting our flow back,” Claxton said. “It's just me playing more games. My body, everything is just starting to fall into place. Especially now with Cam, I have to be aggressive. [Thomas] I was out, so I missed the point. ”
Noah Clowney also suited up after missing the past six games with an ankle sprain. He was initially listed as a suspect.
“It shows that he really wants to come back. And obviously he's fully healthy. And he's able to get back to the team, but he cares about the group and is with the group.” I also told them that I want to stay there,” Fernandez said. “He was playing well when the sprain happened, but now he wants to be with his teammates right away. I'm very happy he's dressed.”
The power forward for the second year was DNP, who is still alive and well.
“I never said I would play both.” [Clowney and Finney-Smith]” Fernandez said. “Obviously, I'm not going to run them into the ground, because that's no fault on my part. But certainly, if we or the coaching staff decide to play them, they're pretty much usually Ready to play in minutes.”
